Tuesday 1 April 2014

My Anti-Bucket List

A few months ago I read an article written by Rachel Weight in which she outlined her 'anti-bucket' list. A bucket list refers to a number of experiences or achievements that a person hopes to have or accomplish during their lifetime. An anti-bucket list is the opposite - these are the experiences or achievements that a person doesn't want or hopes to never accomplish during their lifetime. It got me thinking about what would be on my anti-bucket list. Here's what I've come up with so far.

* I will never, ever go sky diving or bungee jumping. To quote Rachel Weight, "why anyone would pay to practice dying is beyond me."

* I will never get behind the wheel of a car in any country that involves driving on the opposite side of the road. I can't even reverse park in my own country so what hope do I have driving anywhere else?

* I will never willingly watch another horror film again. MOH (My Other Half) values his sleep and doesn't really want to stand guard at the bathroom door in case there are ghosts lurking in the shadows when I have to go in the middle of the night.

* I will not put myself in a position where I am so unhappy at work that it affects my health and well being. Been there, done that, never again.

* I will never tolerate leeches, i.e. people who suck the all the joy, happiness and energy from my life.

* I will never swim in the ocean at night. I do not find it peaceful to stare into a black abyss.

* I will never again go on those carnival rides that spin around and around. I'm nauseous just thinking about it.

* I will never like clowns. They creep me out and also make me feel a bit sad.

* I will never say no to chocolate, caramel, ice-cream and cheesecake. As I've said before, life's too short to live in a constant state of deprivation.

* I will never master anything to do with numbers nor will I ever be an expert at reading maps...and that's okay. Play to your strengths I say.

* I will never own a bird or fish again. My sister's cat ate my bird (very traumatic incident in my childhood) and my fish always seem to die.

* I will never give up my mobile phone. It contains so many details about my life that I would be lost without it.

* I will never run a marathon or do a triathlon...and I actually don't want to.

* I will never stop doing things for pure joy, e.g. singing and dancing (even if my ability is questionable).

* I will never be cured of the travel bug. To paraphrase Michael Palin, I know that I shall be happily infected till the end of my life.

* I will never go camping (unless it involves trekking to Machu Pichu). I like my hot showers and flushing toilets.

* I will never discard social media. When used in an appropriate way, it's fun and completely harmless. After all, without it I wouldn't have my blog and couldn't connect to all of you.

* I will never compromise my personal values for anyone or anything. It's just not worth it.

* I will never fail to express my gratitude for the wonderful people, experiences and opportunities I have in my life. There have been challenges (and I know there will be more) that have rocked me to the core, but I still truly believe that I have an incredibly blessed life.

* On that note, I'll never stop being an optimist.

* I will never stop being me. Just me. I don't know how to be anything else.

Having said all that, I have surprised myself at the things I have done or are willing to do (or at least try). Who knew I'd take the plunge and finally take singing lessons? Can't believe that I love jet skiing or that I'm seriously contemplating learning how to ride a scooter (actually a lot of people can't believe that one either). Didn't think I'd ever like running, do a glacier trek or find myself in the middle of nowhere at a mining site for work.

Guess that's one of the great things about life - you just never know where it might take you and you never know what you are really capable of. So with that in mind, perhaps the saying "never say never" is true...with the exception of my anti-bucket list. It's still important to know your limits. There are truly some things that are just not meant to be.